Parents’ lived experiences of parental needs for support at a burn centre

Lina S T Lernevall,A L Moi,E Gjengedal,P Dreyer

doi:10.1080/17482631.2020.1855749

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: A burn injury to a child is a traumatic event and the parent’s emotional reactions and coping strategies affect the child’s adaptive outcome. It is therefore important that parents get the right support. The aim was to explore parents’ lived experiences of their need for support when having a child admitted to a burn centre. Methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 22 parents of children age <12 years hospitalised with an accidental burn injury, 9 to 27 days after the burn accident, from April 2017 to July 2018. A Ricoeur-inspired textual analysis method was used. Results: Four themes emerged from the analysis and describe the parents’ needs for support. The parents wanted to be taken care of as a whole family and feel safe in the hands of professionals. This, in turn, depended on being informed about the child’s condition and treatment, but also on getting help in dealing with feelings of guilt. Not least, parents wanted opportunities to take care of their own fundamental needs in terms of hygiene, food, adequate rest and activities. Conclusion: As an overall understanding the healthcare providers should focus on the family as a whole in care and treatment.

Highlights

Childhood burns are among the most severe forms of injury, with high morbidity and mortality rates world wide (Kim et al, 2012)
An accidental burn injury in a child was experienced as a traumatic event by the parents
Our results highlight that being treated as a family strength ens parents, which is in line with family-centred care (FCC)

Summary

Introduction

Childhood burns are among the most severe forms of injury, with high morbidity and mortality rates world wide (Kim et al, 2012). In Europe, 50–80% of all burns in children affect children under the age of five (Brusselaers et al, 2010). In Norway, children between zero and three years of age are 12 times more prone to experience a burn injury than children >5 years and adults (Onarheim et al, 2014). Both the injury and the burn treatment are known to be painful. Supporting parents of burninjured children is an important part of the regular care offered at burn centres

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Discussion

Conclusion